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What is going on at New Country 101.5?

CTListener said:
I think Roddy was referring to the Georgia station, not the one in Texas. So KPLX was playing Combs and other non-Texas acts, just not during the Texas Ten? How many times a day did that feature air?
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Correct. I was referring to WKHX. All I know about KPLX is the station regained its ratings strength after Brian Philips created 99.5 The Wolf.
 
CTListener said:
"Signs point to another rebrand." So maybe "hot" or "today's" replaces "new," emphasizing that the MUSIC is what's fresh and new, not the station?
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When WKHX became New Country 101-5, I thought the move was questionable because 94-9 had been using the New Country positioner for years. But fairly recently, The Bull started saying "Atlanta's New Country and your all-time favorites."
 
TheBigA said:
There is no indication that any change in format is contemplated. The man quoted in the Aircheck story is a veteran country radio PD.

Whatever happens on Monday, it will stay country.
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Oh trust me, I know. There’s just a long running troll topic on this board that 94.9 or 96.1 will flip to iHeart’s “Breeze” format. 😂
 
Kent said:
My guess is that it will be a promotion, like "101.5 is saying goodbye to your bills." Promotions like that are old and keep getting recycled. I remember KMXV in Kansas City did one where it kept saying, "Mix is dead," only to announce, "Mix is dead SERIOUS about giving you $1 million." Q102 in Cincinnati also did one where it kept saying, "Q102 is finished," which became "Q102 is finished loading the million dollar money machine." I worked at a station in '04-'05 that did a big promotion about taking over another station across town. When it was time to announce the station, we showed up at a gas station and offered $1.07 gas to anyone who showed up while we were broadcasting there.
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Looks like you're the winner.
 
The station's home page has a GIF looping on launch with the file name of NC_FreeGas_Tease_splash2.gif. Free gas giveaway sounds about right.

NC_FreeGas_Tease_splash2.gif
 
Kent said:
I worked at a station in '04-'05 that did a big promotion about taking over another station across town. When it was time to announce the station, we showed up at a gas station and offered $1.07 gas to anyone who showed up while we were broadcasting there.
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Didn't an Atlanta station do the "station takeover" shtick? I want to say it was Star.
 
One listener tweeted this, which gave me an idea:

C.A.L.E.B.@Caleb431·4hReplying to @NewCountry1015I bet it’s all country love songs just for Monday.
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How about the opposite? For Valentine's Day, they play country's greatest breakup songs. There are lots of them. Start with JoDee Messina. Bye, Bye my baby. Take phone calls from listeners with their most memorable break up. Celebrity breakup stories. What do you think?
 
I also think we can put the idea of the Kicks branding coming back in place of New Country 101-Five to bed.
 
101tm said:
I also think we can put the idea of the Kicks branding coming back in place of New Country 101-Five to bed.
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Yes, and one thing about the former Kicks branding. In addition to the Kicks moniker being outdated, The Bull's audience was much younger that the Kicks audience. I'm sure that was one reason for the switch to calling the station New Country.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
Yes, and one thing about the former Kicks branding. In addition to the Kicks moniker being outdated, The Bull's audience was much younger that the Kicks audience. I'm sure that was one reason for the switch to calling the station New Country.
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“Kicks” to me sounds very 80s/90s. If it’s on a station that’s still successful (like Kicks 99 in Augusta, Kicks 96.5 in Savannah) leave it alone, but in a very big market if you’re struggling it sounds kinda hokey now.
 
101tm said:
“Kicks” to me sounds very 80s/90s. If it’s on a station that’s still successful (like Kicks 99 in Augusta, Kicks 96.5 in Savannah) leave it alone, but in a very big market if you’re struggling it sounds kinda hokey now.
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WXXK here in Market 221 -- Lebanon/Hanover/White River Jct. -- is still Kixx 100.5, but also IDs as "The Valley's Big Country." It usually tops the country beauty pageant numbers, although WXLF 95.3 (The Wolf) has been surging, and WJEN 105.3 (Cat Country) has been competitive in the past. There's still another country station in the market, WCNL (1010/94.7), which runs a unique classic country/hit country/pop crossover format and approaches 2.0 occasionally despite an inferior signal.

Why this part of New England is so fertile for country music radio is a puzzler, but then the all-classical (even in drive time) public radio station here (WNCH 88.1) is routinely fourth or even third overall with numbers in the high 3s to mid 4s.

And yes, I'm a VT Listener now, but will keep my username for the time being. Besides, I still stream Connecticut stations regularly.
 
TheBigA said:
For Valentine's Day, they play country's greatest breakup songs. There are lots of them. Start with JoDee Messina. Bye, Bye my baby.
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One George Jones song once per hour. He's got quite the collection (some duets):
Two Story House, Golden Ring, The Grand Tour, The Race is On, Blues Man, A Good Year for the Roses, A Picture of Me without You, ...
And, of course: He Stopped Loving Her Today

(Obviously this is not serious. Although it would be amusing for a "New Country" station to play an artist who hasn't had a top 10 hit in 35 years)
 
TheBigA said:
Especially when there are current songs in the chart right now that cover the same topic.
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When aren't there?

Whiskey and Rain, 7500 OBO, Damn Strait, I Bet You Think About Me, even Sand in My Boots (although it's a stretch to call what's described therein as a relationship) ... and that's just off the top of my head. Heartbreak has been a constant country music theme since the beginning.
 
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